Thanksgiving weekend is recognized as the most heavily traveled weekend of the year. It is a fact, as thousands upon thousands of people all across our state and across the nation will fly or drive to meet up with friends and relatives to share some quality time together. There will be football, lots of food and plenty of conversation as we catch up on what has been happening in our lives over the past year. Some folks will do some hunting or take a traditional hike through the woods to help our stomachs settle after a belly full of turkey and all the wonderful side dishes!

Thanksgiving is also a perfect time of the year to take a few minutes and reflect – on what has happened throughout your past and where things are headed in your future. It is a time to reflect on the struggles of the past and the hopes of the future, remembering that if you focus too much on the past, you lose the vision into the future. It is a great opportunity to inventory all the good in your life and thus realize all of the bounties that you currently enjoy.

These days, so many folks seem to be mired down in the daily routine of their jobs that they simply don’t realize how great things are. When you do take a few minutes to inventory all the good in your life, what are you thankful for?

As I reflect back on my three quarters of a century on this planet, there are so many simple things in my life that have shaped who I am and what my life has been. I believe that I am truly fortunate to have grown up in the rural setting of Northcentral Pennsylvania, to have spent my formative years of education in the Montoursville school district and at Lycoming College, and to have served in the Air Force, which enabled me to have a greater understanding and appreciation for this unique and magnificent country of ours.

To have enjoyed a family life of almost 25 years, and to this day to continue to share time with two wonderful sons that I am extremely proud of is truly a blessing that continues to bring great joy. To have had struggles and challenges in the past to work through and learn from has helped me to realize how to manage the present and the future. I reflect on the past only to recall the lessons learned and to recognize how they will aid in successes in the days to come.

There is little doubt that, if you are honest with yourself, doing an inventory of what you have to be thankful for will quickly make you realize just how fortunate you are. Considering your age and stage in life, just what does your personal inventory tell you? I’ll bet that the realization of all of the good things you have going on in your life will help you put behind you the negative things that we all let drag us down at times.

At some point this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, take time to reflect. After that delicious feast of turkey and all the trimmings, where you are surrounded by friends and family, adjourn to your favorite easy chair by the fire in the fireplace. Or wander off in a solo trek along a nearby logging road that brings back great memories of times with family and friends. Then, while you are settled back in the easy chair, or pausing on the hike and sitting on an old oak stump – reflect.

Reflect briefly on the past, inventory all the good in your life and daydream about the things on your bucket list and the satisfaction that completing your wishes will bring you — Happy Thanksgiving!